October has arrived, which means two things: first, our TBRs are already completely out of control and a little chaotic, and second, another stack of books is bound to be impossible to resist. If you need proof of just how wonderfully bookish-out-of-control they were, our September reads pretty much say it all, and honestly, we’re fine with it.

This month is bringing us everything from paranormal rom-coms and magical universities to immortal gods, creepy islands, supernatural horror, secret societies, epic fantasy, and one very dysfunctional poetry journal. Even an eldritch sea god is involved, because apparently October understood the assignment.

So, it’s time for you to grab that glass of cider and get cozy because this October is packed with something for everyone!  Here are the new releases we’re most excited about. 

Entities to Lovers by Mallory Marlowe 

Release Date: October 13th, 2026

You know we love tropes, and this one has one of our favorites: Enemies-to-lovers. Throw in some ghost tours, a matchmaking spirit, and a supernatural curse; obviously, we are there for it.

Paranormal medium Rory Woods spends her days working at her family’s spirit shop and her nights leading ghost tours through Boston. Unfortunately, one of her coworkers is Ezra Blackwell, an irritatingly charming history professor who seems to enjoy getting on her nerves. 

After the two of them disturb a matchmaking ghost, they find themselves cursed with bad luck whenever they’re apart. 

We think we know where this is going! We can’t wait for a bit of forced proximity and those inconvenient feelings we just love! Let’s be honest, the title alone earns this one points.

Mothsblood by Lynn D. Jung 

Release Date: October 13th, 2026

Dark academia readers, this one has your name written all over it. I rather suspect Teri has probably already ordered it! Be sure to check out her blog, Dark Academia Books to Read This October!

Larkspur Lee is an ambitious alchemist studying at a university where things take a very dark turn when an immortal professor is murdered.  As an investigation into the dangerous Prometheans begins, Lark finds herself pulled back toward a past she has worked hard to escape. 

The deeper she digs, the more complicated everything becomes, especially when the university’s past begins to reveal secrets of its own.

Mortal Things by Marie Lu 

Release Date: October 27th, 2026

Rose Lin Fairchild never believed in gods, but one chose her anyway, and being forced into service as the Harbinger of Raven, the god of Death, was more than unexpected!

Rose hates almost everything about Raven, but serving him is also the only thing keeping her best friend alive. Then a murder shakes the immortal world, and Rose suddenly finds herself positioned as Raven’s possible heir.

To ascend, she must prove herself to the other gods, with fellow Harbinger Étienne Beauchard assigned to test her abilities. Unfortunately, he is charming, clever, and very much in her way.

And then hostility starts turning into something else.

Gods, murder, enemies-to-lovers tension, immortal secrets, and the threat of war…we know exactly who on our team will be adding this one to their TBR list! 

Dive Bar at the End of the Road by Kelley Armstrong 

Release Date: October 6th, 2026

A stormy road. A pileup. Five strangers. One backwoods dive bar that may not be quite as safe as it looks.

Kelley Armstrong’s latest supernatural horror traps a group of accident survivors together overnight after a series of crashes leaves them stranded in the middle of nowhere. Cell service is nonexistent, time seems to be behaving strangely, and heading outside turns out to be an increasingly terrible idea. Then there is the small matter of whatever is lurking in the woods.

This one is perfect for October! We love stories where the obvious danger isn’t necessarily the first thing waiting for us!

Peck & Peck by Bonnie Garmus 

Release Date: October 13th, 2026

Bonnie Garmus is taking us into the extremely serious, slightly ridiculous, and apparently very dysfunctional world of poetry publishing. 

Batter Gray is a recent college graduate living in New York City, trying to figure out what he wants to do with his life. While everyone around him seems to be chasing sensible careers, Batter wants poetry.

That decision leads him to Peck & Peck, one of the most prestigious and secretive poetry journals in the world, where thirty-nine editors appear to believe poetry might just hold the key to humanity’s survival. We are already curious and possibly slightly concerned.

Scorpion Deep by CG Drews 

Release Date: October 27th, 2026

Certain phrases immediately make us curious, and “obsessive eldritch sea god” is definitely one of them.

Jonathan Covey desperately wants to leave the gloomy island of Kelcarrow, especially as his friends prepare to head to college without him. In a moment of desperation, he performs a ritual involving Scorpion Deep, a sea god most locals dismiss as myth. Unfortunately, the ritual works.

As Jonathan becomes increasingly connected to the entity he has awakened, things begin changing in deeply unsettling ways, including scales appearing along his spine and Scorpion Deep’s attention becoming more violent.

Clearly, nothing could possibly go wrong here.

A Court of Splintered Harmony by Sarah J. Maas 

Release Date: October 27th, 2026

Yes, ACOTAR readers. It is happening.

The sixth book in Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series and the first installment in The Valkyrie Cycle returns to Prythian as Koschei the Deathless begins stirring and old threats once again reach across the Fae territories. 

The Night Court is facing danger from outside while also dealing with fractures within. Betrayals, secrets, and broken alliances have strained relationships, but with Koschei’s influence growing, everyone may need to find a way back to one another before it is too late.

We suspect October 27th may involve several people suddenly becoming unavailable for plans. 

Off the Reservation by Stephen Graham Jones 

Release Date: October 13th, 2026

Stephen Graham Jones returns to the world of The Only Good Indians. Five years after the events of that novel, Nathan Yellow Tail is recovering from an accident that nearly killed both him and his best friend. When he is given the chance to help repatriate the remains of a Blackfeet boy who died at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, he joins three older Blackfeet on a journey to bring the boy home.

But when they retrieve the remains, something else appears to come with them.

Jones blends horror with history, grief, survival, and the lasting impact of what happened to Indigenous children forced into boarding schools. This sounds like one of October’s heavier reads, but potentially one of its most powerful too.

Public Access Afterworld by Jane Schoenbrun

Release Date: October 27th, 2026

This may be one of the strangest releases on our October list, and we mean that as a compliment.

Spanning decades and realities, Public Access Afterworld revolves around a mysterious realm hidden somewhere beyond our screens and the strange broadcasts that seem capable of reaching into people’s lives.

From a disturbing television moment in 1988, to two teenagers witnessing a surreal pirate broadcast in 2009, and then a content moderator encountering the same mysterious force years later, the story gradually connects people drawn toward something called the Public Access Afterworld.

When you combine speculative fiction, horror, conspiracy, strange television signals, and multiple realities, you definitely get the kind of book where you finish a chapter, stare at the wall for a minute, and then immediately keep on reading.

Knight of the God King by Lauren Blackwood 

Release Date: October 20th, 2026

A magical knight. A handsome squire. A supposedly immortal king and some very dangerous secrets.

Calliope has always wanted to become a knight, using music to summon magic as she heals and protects others. When she finally gets the chance to serve the God King, it seems like everything she has worked for is falling into place. Naturally, it is not.

Soon she is dealing with court intrigue, a very attractive squire named Beric, a demonic force called The Dark, and the discovery that her king may not actually be a god at all.

Romance, magic, betrayal, and court politics! We just have to add it to our ever-growing pile.

The Tarot Trials by Katee Robert 

Release Date: October 20th, 2026

Kestrel has spent her entire life preparing for the Tarot Trials, and she has a deeply personal reason to win.

Twenty-two years earlier, her mother won the Trials but was executed for treason instead of claiming her place among the ruling Cinque. Now Kestrel enters as Champion of the Moon, determined to uncover the truth.

Of course, this is not simply a competition. There are alliances, betrayals, deadly rivals, shadow magic, secrets, and the uncomfortable possibility that winning may require far more than skill.

It is Katee Robert, so we’re also fairly confident things will get complicated in the romance department.

Radio Free Texas by Libba Bray 

Release Date: October 6th, 2026

I’m not sure I could say it any better than the blurb: “From beloved bestselling author Libba Bray, a story of love, rock n' roll, and sex (in that order) in 1980s Texas.”

Bowie starts his senior year feeling more than a little lost, but things begin to change after he takes the blame for a firecracker stunt involving his crush, Comet. His punishment lands him doing community service at a local radio station, where he unexpectedly discovers he may have something to say after all.

This one sounds like it’s going to be funny, heartfelt, and wonderfully nostalgic, with the kind of messy, awkward teenage moments that make coming-of-age stories so memorable.

What’s Going on Your October TBR?

Well, October certainly did not arrive quietly. We have cursed ghost-tour guides, murderous academic institutions, gods behaving badly, fantasy knights, strange islands, supernatural dive bars, secret trials, unsettling television broadcasts, and an ACOTAR release that may single-handedly disrupt reading schedules everywhere.

Basically, there is a lot happening. The only real question is which one you’re picking up first. Are you heading straight for fantasy, leaning into horror season, craving a romance, or planning to pretend you have enough self-control to choose just one?

We would love to know which October release has made its way onto your TBR. And if you’re leaning toward something a little more mysterious this fall, head over to The Best Mystery and Thriller Books for Fall 2026. Because clearly what your TBR needs right now is even more books.

Until next time, happy reading from all of us at Once Upon a Book Club!

October 2026 New Book Releases at a Glance

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some of the most anticipated new books coming out in October 2026?

October 2026 includes new releases across romance, fantasy, horror, dark academia, speculative fiction, and coming-of-age fiction. Highlights include Entities to Lovers by Mallory Marlowe, Mothsblood by Lynn D. Jung, Mortal Things by Marie Lu, A Court of Splintered Harmony by Sarah J. Maas, and Public Access Afterworld by Jane Schoenbrun.

What new horror books are coming out in October 2026?

Readers looking for horror can try Dive Bar at the End of the Road by Kelley Armstrong, which traps a group of strangers in a supernatural roadside nightmare; Scorpion Deep by CG Drews, featuring an eldritch sea god; and Public Access Afterworld by Jane Schoenbrun, which combines horror, speculative fiction, strange broadcasts, and conspiracy.

What should I read in October 2026 if I love dark academia?

Mothsblood by Lynn D. Jung is a strong choice for dark academia readers. It follows an ambitious alchemist investigating the murder of her immortal university professor, uncovering the institution’s secrets, and trying to stay out of the reach of a dangerous cult.

What new fantasy romance books are coming out in October 2026?

There are quite a few this October, including Knight of the God King by Lauren Blackwood, The Tarot Trials by Katee Robert, Mortal Things by Marie Lu, and A Court of Splintered Harmony by Sarah J. Maas. They range from magical knights and deadly competitions to immortal gods and Fae political intrigue.

What should I read if I want a funny paranormal romance for October?

Entities to Lovers by Mallory Marlowe combines enemies-to-lovers romance, ghost tours, forced proximity, and a supernatural curse. Rival guides Rory and Ezra discover that terrible luck follows whenever they are apart after they accidentally disturb a matchmaking ghost.